Chapter 1187
"This … This …" Charisenos was shocked by the young commander's aura. He did not dare to say anything to dissuade him.
"Then what if this fertile land is empty?" Cloto Catax stared at Charisenos and said solemnly, "I believe that Mandinia on the Peloponnesus Peninsula is the most loyal ally of Diónia, so I've decided to gift the land of Tegea to Mandinia."
Charisenos' heart was beating wildly. He thought he had heard wrong. He could not help but ask loudly, "You … You're saying that you're giving us the land of Tegea?!"
It was no wonder that he was overjoyed. The land of Tegea and Mandinia was the only plain in the Arcadia Region. It was narrow from east to west and long from north to south. The terrain was high in the south and low in the north. Tegea was located in the south and occupied most of the land, while Mandinia was located in the north. Every time it rained, the rivers would flood. The people of Mandinia had suffered enough from the floods and wanted to expand their land to the south.
However, because Tegea was fully supported by Sparta, the people of Mandinia had some reservations and did not start a major war. However, before the War of Corinth, the people of Sparta invaded Mandinia. With the help of the Tegea, they blocked the river in the north of the plain and destroyed the city of Mandinia with a water attack. This became a permanent pain for the people of Mandinia. Now, Mandinia had the chance to own the entire plain. Not only could it obtain more fertile land to increase its strength, it would also completely solve its long-standing worries. How could Charisenos not be overjoyed?
"I hope that Mandinia will give me an answer tomorrow! After tomorrow, I can only see that Mandinia has given up on this land and will use it as a military base for Diónia on the Peloponnesus Peninsula. "
"Don't worry, General Cloto Catax. I'll rush back to Mandinia right away. We'll definitely give you an answer tomorrow!" Charisenos quickly said.
"Alright, I'll wait for your reply." Cloto Catax nodded.
Calisthenos mounted his horse, gripped the reins tightly, and clamped the horse's abdomen tightly. He urged the warhorse to hurry north.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid that the other city-states of the Arcadia Union will not be happy with Mandinia if we give Tegea's territory to Mandinia," Printos reminded.
Klotokatax said firmly, "Although the Arcadia Alliance has become our ally, the internal situation of the alliance is too complicated. Tegea has rebelled, and Ocommainus is also being lobbied by others … How can we rest assured to cooperate with such an alliance!
It's better to strengthen our relationship with Mandinia, which is truly willing to work with us. It was originally one of the stronger city-states in the Arcadia Region. If it merged with Tegea's territory, its strength would skyrocket, and it would definitely become the absolute leader of the Arcadia Union.
Besides, once Mandinia annexes Tegea's territory, not only will the city-states of the Arcadia Union be dissatisfied, but the other city-states in Greece will also want to interfere (this is the tradition of Greece. A city-state that is destroyed by its enemy will be rebuilt by the enemy's enemy a few years later). Mandinia will have no choice but to rely on Diónia more! "
"The Lycomedes of Mandinia seems to be very smart. I'm afraid he won't agree."
Cloto Catax smiled. "He's currently in Megaropolis. I'm afraid he won't know about this even after the Mandinians have made their decision. And even if he knows, he won't be able to convince all the people of Mandinia by himself when faced with such great benefits. "
Cloto Catax's consideration was very thorough. Printos no longer had any doubts. For a moment, he felt like he was facing the King of Devers, and even his tone became more respectful. "I understand."
At this moment, Ctessus walked over with a solemn expression, holding a jar. He said in a low voice, "This is Adoris's ashes …
Cloto Catax carefully took it. When he held it in his arms, tears flowed out again …
… …
Ctessus kept looking around. He suddenly felt very nervous, because this was not the General Executive Committee of Athens, nor was it the 500-member parliament of Ares Mountain. This was the Citizen's Assembly on Punix Hill, the highest authority in Athens. Looking at the layers and surging heads, listening to the noise that shook the sky and made one's heart palpitate, the people of Athens claimed that when they held a Citizen's Assembly, the number of people often exceeded 5,000. It seemed that it was not an empty statement.
At this moment, he saw the Chief General of Athens, Callistratus, walk to the center of the hall. He raised his right arm high and said in a loud and penetrating voice, "Citizens of Athens, the Citizen's Assembly has officially begun!"
Gradually, the surrounding citizens of Athens stopped talking, and the whole hall fell silent.
Callistratus continued, "In the last meeting, we discussed the issue of the Dionysian Army invading Peloponnesus for no reason. Today, the envoy of Diónia has also rushed to Athens and wants to communicate with us on this issue. Let's hear what he has to say first."
When Callistratus pointed his finger at Ctessus, the nervousness in his heart disappeared at that moment. He stood up and walked step by step to the center of the hall …
In the past, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, Megara, Agos … Almost all the Greek city-states in the world had sent messengers here to stand in front of the critical citizens of Athens, explaining their city-state's position, whether it was for war, for alliance, for trade, or just because a citizen of a city-state had broken the law in Athens …
Numerous famous Athenian scholars had delivered stirring speeches here, such as Solon, Demosthenes, Aristophanes, Themistocles, Comon, Pericles, Alcibiades, Socrates, and so on.
Whether it was in the Diónia Academy or in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ctessus had learned a lot about speeches in Athens from his teacher, Ancitanos. Over the years, he had traveled back and forth to various alliances and tribes in the western Mediterranean. Although he had received a satisfactory reply from the Thebes a few days ago that the Thebes would remain neutral, Ctessus knew that it was the Thebes' intention to do so, and it had nothing to do with him. Today, it was finally time for him to show his strength.
Ctessus stood in the center of the hall, his eyes sweeping across the indifferent faces around him, and a sense of pride rose in his heart.
He took a deep breath, feeling the abundant breath flowing between his chest, throat, mouth, and nose. Then he opened his mouth and said, "Citizens of Athens, on behalf of the two million citizens of the Kingdom of Diónia (excluding women and children), I extend my sincere greetings to you!"
His first sentence caused a commotion among the people of Athens around him. "Two million citizens?! Is it true? Including the overseas territories, Athens has no more than 15,000 citizens. How can Diónia have more than ten times the number of Athens?! "
"First of all, I would like to correct a mistake made by Lord Callistus. Diónia sent troops to Peloponnesus to fulfill the covenant and help the Thebes fight against the Sparta army.
In this regard, I admire the people of Athens. When the city of Thebes was occupied by the Sparta and the democrats of Thebes were in danger, it was you who bravely reached out to help them.
The Thebes recaptured the city, but faced the attack of the Sparta army. It was you who fearlessly formed an alliance with the Thebes in such a bad situation. Not only did you provide them with material assistance, but you also sent your fleet to directly participate in the war, threatening the rear of the Sparta army. The reason the Thebes were able to persist until now and win the battle of Leuctra is absolutely inseparable from your selfless help.
Although Diónia formed an alliance with the Thebes later, we, Diónia, detest Sparta, the main culprit of inciting wars in Greece and causing the entire Greek people to live in peace! We, Diónia, also empathize with the fact that Sparta continues to bully Athens after the War of Peloponnesus. They even invaded your territory during the Great King's Contract. They wantonly killed and looted the people of the villages near the port of Piraeus, and they showed no signs of repentance afterwards!
Therefore, even if Athens is tied up because of the new contract, you should be optimistic about Diónia's victory over Sparta … "
Callistratus noticed that the people's expressions had softened. He immediately interrupted Callistratus, "Thank you for your wonderful speech, but first, I want to correct a mistake you made. You can call me by my name, but you can't call me 'sir' because all citizens of Athens are equal, regardless of their age. If I dare to call myself 'sir', I'm afraid my compatriots will expel me with pottery shards today."
A burst of laughter rang in the hall.
Callistratus continued, "However, it's no wonder that you made such a mistake. I heard that the people of Diónia are divided into many levels, from the king and ministers to the people at the bottom. The hierarchy is very strict, and it's impossible to call anyone by their name. Otherwise, you will be punished. It's no wonder that you're more reserved when you come to Athens."
Callistratus smiled, "I call you 'sir' not only because I respect you, but also because I respect the power that the citizens of Athens have given you. It's the concentrated embodiment of the will of all the citizens of Athens. As for Diónia, I would like to ask Sir Callistratus, have you been to any town in Diónia? "
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